Wildfire: Origins
by FourthWallBreaker
Summary: In pre-War Cybertron, there was more going on than just Orion becoming Optimus or Megatron becoming the Decepticon Warlord. Here is another side of the war...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys, Nexus here.**

**This is a story that kind of explains Wildfire's past. You know, the character I threw in with Jazz in my one-shot, ****_Rebuilding_****. It's going to take place during ****_Exodus_****, the first Transformers novel in the ongoing series.**

**Before we continue on to the chapter, here's a table of the estimated time measurement comparisons between human and Transformer measurements (as copied from my other Transformers story, which I will be releasing "soon"):**

**Giga-Cycle: 100 years**

**Tera-Cycle: 10 years**

**Orbital-Cycle: 1 year**

**Vorn: Month**

**Mega-Cycle: Week**

**Solar-Cycle (or just Cycle): Day**

**Breem: hour**

**Klik: minute**

**Nano-Klik: second**

**And SIS, I'm planning on editing the one-shot I wrote up earlier so that it can be a bit better, but it's going to take a little bit for me to get it fully rewritten with what you and Wolf suggested. And yes, it will get elongated into an actual story.**

**Presenting Origins!**

**Chapter 1**

"Wildfire! You're on!"

A red and orange Cybertronian looked up from polishing a vibroblade that was normally kept hidden in her left arm, right above her servo. The optics, a clear blue that rivaled the glow of Energon, were hard with a guarded look that hinted at experience in times and places that called for the use of a weapon - or multiple, if need be.

The Cybertronian sheathed the blade with a clench of her servo and stood up from the crate on which she had been sitting. "Rules?"

"First wound," the other replied - a black and white Cybertronian mech with blaring red optics. "It's a newbie."

"Newbie, huh?" A sneer made its way across the femme's face. "This is going to be fun." Wildfire walked over to the door that led from the underground tunnels to the gladiator pit above. "Has this greenie got a name?"

"Yeah. Electro, or something." The mech made a careless waving motion. "Probably has something to do with where he used to work or something."

Wildfire nodded slightly, a minor amount of interest mixing with the serious look on her face. "Okay, then. I wonder how he's going to fight..." She turned and headed out through the doorway, her optics adjusting instantly to the blaring light that shone down from the ceiling of the gladiatorial arena.

The constant cheering of the crowds only increased as the fiery-colored femme appeared on the rocky arena floor far below them. She looked around the arena, the fiery piles of scrap dancing in the peripheral.

Taking note of a flash of blue, Wildfire turned her gaze to the other side of the arena, catching sight of a rather nervous-looking light blue mech who was doing his best to keep a determined look on his face, despite the obviously terrified look in his blue optics. A newbie, that much was certain - only this one was more nervous than the others the femme had fought in the past. Others were over-confident of their abilities, and rushed into battle without a problem.

This one looked like he was ready to hit reverse.

Wildfire sent him a malicious smile that told the mech exactly what she hoped to do, causing him to stiffen up into a battle stance. At least he knew an unspoken promise when he saw one. Crossing her arms in front of her, she brought them back to her sides quickly, drawing her vibroblades in a flourish, earning yells from the crowd at the sudden movement.

The mech's optics widened, and his neck cables convulsed as he mimed a nervous swallow before bringing his fists up and clenching them, the nervous look returning.

He didn't have any built-in weapons, Wildfire realized. What sort of idiot got into the gladiator business without getting weapons first?

Well, this fight was going to be easier than she had originally expected. Her surprise quickly leaving her face with a neutral expression, Wildfire dashed forward, arms behind her so that she could pick up speed and give a good swing when she got close. Because it was first wound and not kill, the femme was planning on taking an arm or a servo, at least, so that the Energon leakage could be clearly seen.

Of course, the crowd might want her to finish the rookie off...

Wildfire reached the mech and brought her left arm around for a swing, prepared to knock off one of her desired targets. To her surprise, the Cybertronian managed to dodge the attack by leaning back, then found herself skidding backwards with a hit to the chest.

"They didn't tell me Wildfire was a femme!" the mech called out. It seemed that Wildfire's actions managed to get the fighter out of him.

"And they didn't tell me you'd be weapon-less," Wildfire snarled in return. "How do you expect to win here?" She dashed forward again, bringing her blades around for another attempt at inflicting damage. This time, the mech didn't move, instead catching the blades on his crossed arms.

Grinning, Wildfire dug the blades deeper into the mech's armor, only for her optic ridges to shoot up upon discovering that they wouldn't go in.

"New alloy," the mech stated, noting the look. He started to push back, Wildfire's feet digging into the arena floor. "I found it much more useful."

Wildfire let out a grunt. "So you did some homework. Good." She started to push back, not exactly liking that they hadn't gotten to any fighting yet. "You'd better not have done it for just defense!" The femme pushed with what strength she had as she spoke the last word, hoping to force the mech off-balance in order to gain some leverage in the fight.

The mech, who was definitely starting to appear more confident, didn't seem at all fazed by Wildfire's attempts to unbalance him. However, his body wasn't prepared for the force that was provided, and he was sent tumbling backward onto his backside. "Oof!"

Wildfire was on him in an instant, slashing with her vibroblades in order to try and deal some damage to the mech. However, the alloy appeared to not only be covering his arms, but his chest, as well.

The mech glared at her, then pushed her off and jumped to his feet. "There's a reason I don't carry any weapons," he muttered.

"Oh?" Wildfire and he started to circle, neither taking their optics off the other for a moment. "And why is that, greenie?"

The femme got her answer when an electric shock passed through her systems, and her circuits froze up and she stumbled backwards. Looking over at the mech, she caught sight of a pair of pure electric whips that spiraled down his arms and dangled from his servos. Above them, the crowd was shouting in surprise upon seeing the weapons the gladiator was carrying.

"My name isn't Greenie, Electro, or whatever else they told you," the mech stated. "It's Jolt."

Wildfire shook her head as her systems sent warnings to her processor concerning possible EMP damage. The gladiator ignored it - she figured that she had suffered worse. "Jolt, huh? Suits you." She felt an energy of some sort build up in her chest, and a sneering grin appeared on her face. "Just like Wildfire suits me."

There was an explosion of energy as fire appeared out of nowhere on Wildfire's arms, curling around the limbs and entering her vibroblades, earning gasps from those who didn't know and loud cheers from those who did.

Jolt's optics widened, and Wildfire took her opening. Dashing forward, she brought her blades together and slashed through Jolt's upper right arm.  
So the alloy didn't cover everything. Good, because otherwise this battle would have become rather tedious.

The crowd started yelling out different phrases that essentially demanded she finish the mech off. Wildfire, ignoring the yells, simply turned and walked out of the arena.

"You could have made it a little more showy," the black and white mech stated as Wildfire walked in, sheathing her blades. "They don't get as loud for you as they do for-"

"Yeah, well, I'm not him," Wildfire responded stiffly. "And make sure that greenie gets to a medic - if he's going to be of any real help, it'd be with his arm back on to make sure he doesn't leak any Energon. Now better than later, Barricade."

Barricade raised an optic ridge at the femme's attitude, but said nothing. Instead, he turned and ran off, yelling for someone to find one of the medics who had decided to help out when they weren't on-shift at their actual jobs.

Wildfire watched him go with an indifferent look, then sat down on the crate she had been using as a seat before being called out to fight in the arena. Almost instantly, her circuits froze up again - an after-effect of the electricity that was most likely coursing through her systems. Clenching her denta in annoyance at the pain, she clenched her servos in order to try and divert her attention elsewhere. This caught the attention of a passing figure.

"Wildfire, something wrong?"

The femme gladiator moved her gaze slightly, catching sight of a red and white figure who looked like she had stopped mid-step.

"Just some electrical interference, First Aid," Wildfire responded through her denta. "Jolt took me off guard a little."

"The newbie?" First Aid came over, prepared to give Wildfire a quick scan in order to determine what sort of course of action to take concerning Wildfire's freezing systems.

"Yeah. The fact that he picked a name for himself..." Wildfire shook her head, flinching a little from the movement as another surge hit her systems. "I didn't get a full name until a few Orbital-cycles ago."

"Who knows how long ago he might have had his name given to him? He could have been given it at the Well of AllSparks, for all you and I know." First Aid nodded slightly and pulled back. "The surges should stop in a cycle or two. Nothing in your systems appears to be permanently damaged."

"Good." Wildfire relaxed her face as the wave of pain past. "I wouldn't want to be hindered the next time I got into a fight." She looked up at the medic. "Who's looking after the new kid?"

"Barricade ran off yelling something about finding a medic who had traveled here from Iacon." First Aid shrugged. "I doubt that he's going to be around for long, though."

"So it's a mech."

"Aren't they usually?" First Aid shook her head. "I doubt that he's going to be staying for long, although his help is greatly appreciated."

Wildfire noticed a look in First Aid's soft blue optics. "You like him, don't you?" she asked with a sly smirk.

First Aid gave Wildfire a look of surprise. "W-what! No! You have to be joking!"

"I crack jokes when I find the need to." Wildfire was enjoying getting the reaction out of the medic - it wasn't often that the two managed to converse, and the electrical surges were causing the warrior-femme to become a little more loosened up emotionally than normal. "Usually when I want to insult my opponent."

First Aid sighed, but a smile still remained fixed on her face. "The electrical surges must be affecting your processor. There's no way you can act like this normally. I recommend staying away from that arena for a few more cycles than normal. I'm going to tell the boss." She turned and walked off without another word.

Wildfire watched the medic go with a smirk on her face, but it soon faded to an indifferent look as she thought back to the fight she had just participated in. Jolt's actions in the arena were unusual - even more so than who she had fought in the past. And that technique...

No one was able to expel electricity like that. At least, no one that Wildfire knew of. Cybertronians who were capable of creating pure energy weapons were unheard of, and Wildfire never liked to reveal her own ability all that often. It made her feel like she was going to be hunted down by members of the scientist caste and forced to participate in experiments that kept her from the arena - which was really the only thing that she truly enjoyed, other than looking into ways to upgrade her vibroblades or the cannons that shared the storage space in her arms.

She preferred physical contact with the opponent, feeling the metal bending and crushing underneath her force. The cannons worked best for taking down some of the slightly larger opponents, allowing her to wound, then go in for the kill.

It seemed, however, that Jolt was incapable of using his weapons - or even getting an upgrade, for that matter. The electricity must be more involved in his systems than the fiery power Wildfire carried.

The femme shook her head. This wasn't something that she was interested in. Jolt wasn't her problem, like she wasn't his.

Still...it would be nice to get some of that alloy he had been wearing added to her own armor...

**Here you are, then - a bit of an explosive introduction to who Wildfire is and what she does. Don't be afraid to suggest stuff to me, as I'm hoping to IMPROVE this, not just let it sit in some first draft-like form. Favorite - Follow - I don't care! Just give me a few reviews to work with, here!**

**See you next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! I've decided to put chapters up every other Saturday or so, to kind of switch off between this one and the other story I've got going on for my present series - Maria's Adventures. If you're curious, you're more than welcome to look up Smash Worlds Tournament and see what I've got going on there. Your choice, though.**

**Autbotgirl2234 - Thanks! I look forward to hearing more of what you think of the story besides one-word statements, though.**

**Before we get to the story in and of itself, I'd like to share with you guys something I came across when I was writing this story back in July. These "extras" don't affect the storyline, but they're just fun little sections that could give you more insight into a character's attitude - specifically Wildfire for this** **one.**

**Enjoy!**

**Extra (1) - location and hobby**

_"Despite what it sounds like, Kaon isn't actually a bad place to live in. Sure, it's probably not as beautiful as Iacon or Crystal City, but it kinda grows on you after a while. I've lived there for most of my life, and I know how to get around pretty well. Unfortunately, I can't go everywhere._

_"See, when I came into being, there was this thing that kept me from doing everything and going everywhere that I wanted to. It's called 'the caste system' by everybody else, but I just called it 'the repression society.' I mean, these people who run the planet pick where you're going to end up as soon as your Spark signal is registered. Some Cybertronians are chosen to be officers of the law, painters, musicians, members of the army...while everybody else gets sent to the factories where they make life better for everybody else. That's where I ended up. I'd probably still be blowing stuff up if I hadn't gone to actually see a gladiator fight in person. Those things were technically illegal, but the High Council seemed to know that it wasn't a good idea to take away our best source of entertainment, so they let it stick around._

_"Just so you know, I have no qualms about offlining Cybertronians, because a large amount of them have died because of industrial accidents right in front of me already. But that doesn't mean that I don't get away with making any friends among the other gladiators. The Boss ended up working around that so I don't end up fighting them to the death."_

**And now, onto the chapter!**

**Chapter 2**  
Wildfire swirled the Energon around in her cube as she watched the monitor that showed what was taking place above in the gladiatorial arena, the sound lowered to the point that one could barely hearing what was being said in the crowd. It had been a few cycles since her scuffle with Jolt, and, like First Aid had predicted, the electrical surges no longer plagued her. However, she had yet to be cleared to enter the arena herself, and the femme's servos twitched at the thought of being unable to feel a victim's frame crush underneath them.

On the monitor, a silver and purple mech was battling three others, who had moved in complete unison when they had initially charged.

Wildfire's optics narrowed slightly as she watched the unfair match-up. _Combiners. Great. Only_ he _could be able to withstand a direct attack from those things._

"He" meant Megatronus, who really seemed to be having a field day with his maces and one of his victims.

"Another group of combiners?"

Wildfire turned her head, watching as a light blue Cybertronian approached - Jolt, who had long since had his arm reattached and was slowly recovering full use of it. The medic who had come in from Iacon - Ratchet, Wildfire recalled that his name was - had discovered that the alloy, while being near-indestructible, also allowed Jolt to have more control over his electrical discharges than the other alloys available for armor upgrades.

Jolt had ended up explaining that he had come up with the alloy himself, a few Mega-cycles before he had gotten into being a gladiator. Those present at the time ended up asking if the mech had lived in Crystal City beforehand.

"Does he get outnumbered like this often?" Jolt asked, getting Wildfire back to the present.

"Sheesh, where have you been all your life? Under a rock?" Wildfire asked. "Megatronus has been known to fight outnumbered battles like this before."

Jolt gave the femme a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I didn't get access to the Grid all that often, back where I came from."

"Hmph. And where did you come from? The scientist caste?"

Jolt shook his head. "I worked in one of the power stations in Iacon."

"Well, that explains your little power surge." Wildfire's gaze moved back to the monitor, taking a sip from her cube.

"So...where did you work?" Jolt sounded nervous, but equally curious.

Wildfire sent him a look. "Demolition." Her gaze soon returned to the monitor, the femme hoping that the curious mech would take a hint and leave her alone.

The two remaining combiners in the arena merged together, creating some sort of crazy monster that looked like something that had come from the Underworld. It was going to be interesting to see how Megatronus was going to handle this one.

"Is he going to go through with it?"

Wildfire's glare moved back to Jolt.

"Try to get rid of the castes, I mean," the mech amended. "Do you think he'd be able to do it?"

Wildfire's gaze returned to the monitor. "Megatronus can do a lot of things," she stated carefully.

"But can he do what he's been talking about?" Jolt persisted. "I heard a few of his speeches. He sounds like he's not going to back down if the High Council decides to hunt him down."

"He won't," Wildfire replied. "He's going to do what he can to remove the caste system from Cybertron. I plan on living to see that day." Her voice was filled with conviction.

On the monitor, Megatronus had successfully taken the combiner down from its lofty perch and was now proceeding to butcher it mercilessly while the crowd roared with excitement. Wildfire's servos twitched; she wanted to be the one out there, crushing the disgusting combiner's Sparks.

"He looks like he's enjoying himself," Jolt noted.

" 'Tronus has always fought like that," another voice stated.

Wildfire turned her helm, catching sight of a dark blue Cybertronian approaching, carrying a large, golden spear with glowing blue Energon lines.  
"Hey, Wildfire," the mech greeted.

"Sparkseer," Wildfire greeted, giving a stiff nod. "Have you been watching this?"

"I was in my quarters when it started. They have it up on all the monitors from here to the storage vault." Sparkseer's electric blue gaze turned to Jolt, who was looking up at the tall Cybertronian with surprise. "So, you're the electric newbie I've been hearing about the last few cycles."

The other nodded. "The name's Jolt."

"Sparkseer, but you already knew that." A smile made its way onto the Cybertronian's face. "What made you want to become a gladiator? It's not exactly easy."

"It was better than the one I had. Monitoring power levels all cycle bored me out of my processor." Jolt gave Sparkseer a curious look. "What about you? You don't look like you came from where Wildfire did."

Sparkseer shrugged. "I was a part of one of the lower classes for the scientist caste, but they never let me do any of the experiments that I had suggested. I came here to find a change of pace - and maybe get to work with Tronus' medic, Shockwave."

Wildfire's optics narrowed slightly at the mentioning of the scientist Megatronus had managed to convince to join the cause. "Seer, Shockwave is crazy. I wouldn't trust him to teach me - or for me to even be near him during one of his experiments." She gave him a suspicious look. "You've used that gift of yours enough times around him. Can't you tell?"

"Gift?" Jolt repeated, looking at Wildfire in surprise. "Want do you mean?"

"Like you two, I was given an unusual ability. I can see the energy levels of Sparks and determine their emotions." Sparkseer chuckled at the look of shock he was getting from Jolt. "And yes, Wildfire, I am aware of Shockwave's intentions, and have given up attempting to work with him."

Wildfire's glare intensified. "Did you have to tell him?"

"It would only be a matter of time before he found out himself, Fire. Cool down." Sparkseer turned to look at the monitor, where Megatronus was throwing parts of the combiner into the crowd and yelling out something that they couldn't quite hear. As usual, the crowd ate it up, fighting over the parts that the gladiator was tossing up.

"Another cycle, another kill," Wildfire muttered noncommittally with a wave of her servo.

"How can you be so careless about it?" Jolt asked, turning to face Wildfire. "Those combiners could have had a life beyond the gladiatorial ring!"

"I tend to not dwell on that sort of thing. So long as the opponent is someone I can have a challenge in fighting, I don't need to wonder." Wildfire finished off the Energon cube in her servo and walked over to a slowly-growing pile of empty cubes next to the wall, adding her own to it.

Jolt looked at her with surprise, only to look up at Sparkseer when he placed a servo on his right shoulder.

"Wildfire has seen a lot of violence, Jolt," the tall mech murmured. "You're lucky you managed to get that many words out of her."

"Not one for talking, I guess."

"I prefer to let my swords do the talking," Wildfire responded, coming over. She had brought out her left vibroblade and was inspecting its edge. "I'm definitely going to have to ask if I can get this sharpened. Your alloy dulled it a little." She sheathed the weapon.

"Uh...sorry?" Jolt looked a little nervous.

"Happens all the time. You just sped it up a little."

"Have you heard the crowds?" asked a new voice.

Jolt jumped in surprise as a gray Cybertronian femme appeared out of nowhere, dull red and yellow creating stripes across her form.

"What is it, Shape-Change?" Sparkseer asked, turning his attention to the newcomer.

"Our leader has a new name," Shape-Change stated. "Megatron."

The group of four fell silent upon hearing these words, allowing for the news to sink in.

Wildfire was the first to voice her opinion on the name. "At least he doesn't sound like some sort of myth that came back from the dead." Her tone was bitter.

"He's still going to be treated as one," Sparkseer stated with a slight smile. "I mean, come on - I doubt that any gladiator has lasted as long as he has. Or had the courage to take out the old bosses."

"Old bosses?" Jolt repeated, frowning.

"Last cycle's news, greenie," Wildfire replied carelessly. "Megatron is looking into bigger things."

"Do not expect the caste system to be so easy to remove, Wildfire," Shape-Change stated flatly. "It was put in by a Prime. Megatron may have great power, but he is no Prime. The High Council may put us down - for good."

Sparkseer gave Shape-Change an intrigued look. "You know, for someone from the factories, you sound like someone who should have been out in the research caste," he noted.

Shape-Change gave Sparkseer a blank look, hiding whatever her emotions were.

"Then consider yourself lucky that I was capable of slipping into the Hall of Records in Iacon for those scant few Mega-Cycles," she stated stiffly.

"You've been to Iacon?" Jolt asked, optics wide.

"It was arranged for me to go there in order to fulfill a few errands." Shape-Change gave him a curious look. "Why?"

"I used to work there - in one of the power stations. How did you manage to get into the Hall of Records? The only people who are really allowed in there are the people who work there!"

"My secret," Shape-Change responded in a tone that sounded like she didn't want to continue the conversation. Her head turned slightly, catching sight of a figure in the distance. "If you will excuse me." With that, she walked off without another word.

Jolt watched Shape-Change go with a look of confusion on his face. Sparkseer took note and chuckled.

"Don't mind her," he stated. "Shape-Change just likes to keep to herself and her mentor, Soundwave. I haven't seen her reveal any sort of burst of emotion."

"Nor I," Wildfire added calmly. Her gaze moved to the monitor again, which showed the arena being used by a pair of Insecticons who were being pitted against each other by two other Cybertronians who stood on hovering platforms above the arena.

"What do you guys know about her?" Jolt asked.

Wildfire shot the mech a look. "You shouldn't poke into others' pasts," she hissed.

"Besides, we know little to nothing about Shape-Change," Sparkseer added. "No one does, and we're pretty sure she'd like to keep it that way."

"Still, it's a weird name, though..." Jolt frowned. "I mean, who calls themselves Shape-Change?"

There was a silent pause, before one of the group spoke up.

"What do you know of shifters?" Sparkseer inquired curiously, cocking his helm slightly as he looked down at Jolt.

The other looked up at him in surprise. "Shifters? I've only heard -" He stopped short and looked in the direction Shape-Change had gone, then back at Sparkseer. "Are you saying she's -"

"Indeed. A femme of multiple forms, as well as multiple armaments." Sparkseer looked over at Wildfire. "What was it that one mech called her? A 'walking arsenal'?"

"Something like that," Wildfire replied indifferently. In reality, she was jealous of her friend, for she wanted to have access to that many weapons, as well. "Shape-Change is a femme of darkness, as well as one of habit."

Jolt blinked, then frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The femme fights like one who has experience with Circuit-Su," Sparkseer stated. His optics lingered on the monitor for a moment - a pair of mechs were going at each other with swords twice their size - then continued, "As with the other shifter in the area, she prefers to remain in the shadows when she fights. Provoke her, and the fight will end up worse off for you than before, as her number of weapons used will increase exponentially." The mech fingered his staff, eyeing the glowing blue lines. "I am due for a spar with Lugnut. If you'll excuse me." With that, Sparkseer turned around and walked away.

"I have something to do, as well," Wildfire quickly added. "My blades won't sharpen themselves." She started off for her quarters, leaving Jolt standing alone in front of the monitor.

**It looks like Wildfire's got a couple friends, then. Review if you would - I want to know if you want these "extras" to continue, and if there's anything you want me to know about the story in general. Keep any flaming to a minimum.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Here's the next "extra" section that I've written up. Nobody's said no to them yet, so I'm going to just keep them going.**

**Extra (2) - Names**

_"If you say anything about our names sounding a little funny, I'm telling you now to go and stuff it up you species' version of an exhaust pipe._

_"When we first were assigned to our proper castes, we weren't lucky enough to even get names. We got nicknames according to where we worked - all numbers and letters - but nothing else. The actual names went to those in the higher castes - the ones that weren't in danger of dying every other cycle._

_"I picked my name not too long after I managed to get into a fight with a couple coworkers, who were trying to harass me for being the only femme-bot in the sector - something about ones with daintier servos going into daintier work or something. They'd been suspected of having warped processors. Anyway, my temper exploded, and I pretty much melted the legs of my attackers. Almost got the rest of them, but I managed to rein in some control - I was just as surprised as they were. The mechs already called me 'Wild femme' because of my temper and personality, so I just took two of the words and put them together - Wildfire._

_"Course, not everyone makes up their own names - at least, not at first. I mean, Megatronus borrowed the name from one of the mythical Thirteen original Primes, which I thought was just plain egotistical. Megatron was a little better...but not by much. The names were too close together. Much too close."_

**And onto the chapter! This one's going to be a little longer than the other ones previous. And, we get to meet an integral character to the start of the Cybertronian War!**

**Chapter 3**

"...what I can't believe is that some 'bots out there have taken the matter of caste into their own hands," Jolt was saying. "I mean, I know we're gladiators, but that doesn't mean violence is the only answer."

"Greenie, since when did you have to go all philosophical on us?" Wildfire asked, looking up from her inspection of her arm. "And when did you learn how to make this alloy, anyway? It's something for the scientist caste, not a power plant worker."

"It's...something I came up with when I wasn't working," Jolt replied, looking a little nervous. "It is working for you, right?"

"Hasn't messed with my systems yet."

Jolt looked over at Sparkseer, who appeared to be lost in thought. "There's no way that Megatron could have been ordering those attacks, right? It's not going to help to forward our cause, will it?"

"If anything, Megatron will have to somehow manage to convince everyone that he wasn't part of those actions in the first place," Sparkseer replied. "How he will manage to do such a thing at a mass scale, however, is the question, as everyone is seeing him as the source of the trouble. He has, after all, announced his intentions rather quickly."

"We are being kept out of the loop."

Shape-Change appeared beside Wildfire, who sent the shifter a curious look. Jolt, however, still looked nervous - he wasn't used to the shifter's mode of travel.

"Soundwave refuses to teach me more hacking techniques; he claims to be busy with something else," the shifter explained.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Wildfire replied calmly. "I do want the castes to end, but I'm not too keen on joining up with whatever 'forces' Megatron's been gathering from the arenas for the past few cycles. They're being kept away from the arenas for some reason..."

"He talked to you, too?" Jolt gawked.

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

"He told me I could help out if I managed to gain more experience!"

"Not surprised," Shape-Change noted. "You are still a rookie."

"I'm getting better!"

Wildfire rolled her optics. "How long ago did you get out of the Well of AllSparks, Jolt? A few Mega-Cycles ago?"

"No...more like two Tera-Cycles ago, probably."

Wildfire looked at Jolt in surprise. The mech was younger than her by about an Orbital-Cycle, and yet he acted like this? Obviously, the Cybertronian hadn't fully matured mentally just yet.

"You haven't experienced what Cybertron has to offer, then," Sparkseer noted, passing over Wildfire's gaze without a second thought. "If Megatron lets us head out, I'm going to give you a thorough tour of Kaon."

"If I let you," a voice agreed.

The four turned to see Megatron approaching, towering over even Sparkseer's height. Beside him was a slightly shorter Cybertronian who probably came up to about Sparkseer's shoulders. The newcomer was red, blue, and silver, and looked a little nervous upon seeing the spear which Sparkseer never really bothered to put away.

"Orion Pax, these four are members of the more...inexperienced gladiators," Megatron stated carefully. Wildfire stiffened a little as Megatron said this, but said nothing in order to counteract his statement. "Their names are Wildfire, Sparkseer, Shape-Change, and Jolt." Megatron clapped his left servo on the new mech's shoulder. "This is Orion Pax. He is a data clerk from the Hall of Records in Iacon, and a trusted friend of mine."

Wildfire's gaze went over Orion Pax, taking note of the nervous - but also curious - look in his optics. "And what is a data clerk doing here, in the pits of Kaon? Thinking about joining up as a gladiator?"

Orion Pax looked a little alarmed at the suggestion, and he shook his helm. "Definitely not."

"Don't worry about Fire, Pax," Sparkseer stated calmly, a nickname already having slipped its way into his processor for this new mech. "She's like that to everybody." He walked forward. "Welcome to Kaon." He held out his free servo for the mech to shake, and Orion nervously accepted the gesture.

"Do you...have to keep that out?" Orion Pax asked, sending a glance at the golden spear Sparkseer held.

"It helps me channel my energies. If I didn't keep it with my constantly...let's just say I wouldn't be capable of assisting Megatron in any way." Sparkseer stepped back a little. "So, how'd you and Megatron meet? You don't seem like the kind of mech who'd come to the arenas on a regular basis."

Orion Pax shook his helm. "I never have. My task in the Hall of Records is to monitor transmissions from all over Cybertron. I came across some of Megatron's speeches, and they've started to get me thinking about the caste system."

Wildfire's optic ridges shot up. This was certainly news. "Megatron's being heard out in Iacon?"

"How else do you think I ended up getting here?" Jolt asked from where he stood behind Wildfire. "Speeches on the Grid tend to travel fast - especially when a celebrity's involved."

Shape-Change's optics narrowed slightly, but she said nothing.

"Wildfire, there is something I must attend to." The femme looked over at Megatron as he addressed her directly. "I am leaving you in charge of giving Orion Pax a tour of this place, as well as answering any questions you can." With that, the gladiator turned and walked off.

Orion Pax looked a little nervous at the prospect of being left with four gladiators who looked like they could possibly tear his helm right off his shoulders. He also didn't look like he quite believed what Megatron had just done.

"Well, where do you want to head off to first, Fire?" Sparkseer asked as he stretched out his spine. "You've got a lot of ground to cover."

"Me? Oh, no - you guys are not going to leave me alone with this guy. You're coming, too." Wildfire's gaze went over the group, only to find that Shape-Change had disappeared, as was her wont.

"Sorry - I managed to secure a training session with Barricade," Jolt stated. With that, he took off at a run, leaving the group behind.

"Cowardly newbie," Wildfire muttered. She sent Sparkseer a slightly pleading glance - not bothering to even glance at Orion Pax, who was also sending the blue Cybertronian an identical look.

Sparkseer chuckled. "All right, no need to become too distraught. I'll stay."  
Wildfire nodded her approval. "Good." She looked over at Orion Pax. "Let's see how well the data clerk can handle watching a training session." She started to walk off, Sparkseer and Orion Pax following.

"How long have you been here?" Orion Pax asked, keeping in step with Sparkseer not to far behind Wildfire.

"Five Orbital-Cycles short of a Tera-Cycle, I should think," Sparkseer stated. "Wildfire hasn't been here for much longer than that."

"But I can still fight better than you do," Wildfire called back. She stopped in front of a large set of double doors. "If we're lucky, someone could be using this right now."

She pushed the doors open, leading the two mechs into a large room that was filled with different sorts of equipment - mostly immovable targets that looked like most had been dented beyond repair. There was also a shooting range and a large ring, where two figures were sparring, using hand-to-hand combat.

"Jolt and...Barricade, it looks like," Orion Pax identified.

"So he wasn't lying," Wildfire muttered. She turned to look at the data clerk. "Do you want to watch?"

Orion Pax thought for a moment, then shook his helm. "Let's leave them be. I know enough of that sparring technique from Jazz."

"Jazz?" Sparkseer repeated, cocking his helm as they started to leave the room.

"A friend of mine - a cultural investigator."

"Of yet another caste?"

"We have interacted often enough to become friends." Orion Pax's gaze went to Wildfire, who had returned to a spot directly in front of them as they wove their way through the corridors. "Besides Megatron, he is my only friend."

"Interesting."

Wildfire, who had been listening to them talk, rolled her eyes. Sparkseer must have been using his ability, considering how he was speaking and asking Orion Pax so many questions. Watching a Spark's reaction to the questions was one of the ways that the gladiator learned more about a Cybertronian than another who might have done an interrogation session in order to dig into the victim's mind. The mech would most likely end up telling her what he thought of the librarian as soon as Pax was out of sight.

Or he would keep it to himself and force the femme to try and figure out Orion Pax on her own.

**Time Break!**

"...and while some of us have flying alt-modes, aerial gladiatorial fights don't take place as often as those on the ground," Sparkseer finished. "The fliers don't seem to like to hang around here all that often."

"They hate being unable to see the sky above," Wildfire stated. "There are a couple who've told me they're pretty claustrophobic, as well."

Despite Wildfire's best attempts to keep herself cold, Orion Pax and Sparkseer had somehow managed to convince her to come out of her shell somewhat. She had yet to smile in their presence, or even laugh, and the femme would have preferred that she didn't wear her emotions on her sleeve like Sparkseer and the others did. She made it a point to keep her feelings hidden as best as possible.

"You two seem to be much more accommodating than the others," Orion Pax noted as they arrived back at the tour's starting point.

"Megatron told us to answer any questions you had and to give you a tour." Wildfire shrugged. "Around here, his word is law."

"As I had surmised."

"Lord Megatron requests Orion Pax's presence."

Shape-Change appeared in front of them, causing the data clerk to jump back in alarm, optics wide.

"Wh-what does he need me for?" the mech stammered, clearly shaken by the shifter's appearance. Wildfire rolled her eyes, but that did not hide the amusement she had gained from the librarian's reaction.

"He needs a public feed into the Grid, one that cannot be hacked."

Sparkseer and Wildfire exchanged a glance.

"Why would he need something like that?" Wildfire asked. "Planning on making a public speech?"

"Yes."

"Most likely about the bombings," Orion Pax murmured, glancing away for a moment. Looking back at Shape-Change, he stated, "Would you take me to him or Soundwave?"

Shape-Change inclined her helm, nodded slightly, then turned and walked off in the direction of a more public area of the gladiator headquarters. Orion Pax was quick to follow.

"This could be interesting to watch," Sparkseer noted thoughtfully. He started to follow them. Wildfire, looking uninterested but feeling the tug of curiosity, followed not too far behind.

The shifter soon led them to where Megatron was standing on top of a platform. Shockwave (that cycloptic, psychotic purple scientist) and Soundwave were nearby, a small robotic bird perched on the latter's right shoulder - the Minicon known as Laserbeak.

"How was the tour, brother?" Megatron asked. Wildfire stiffened a little upon hearing the last word spoken, wondering if Megatron meant that Orion Pax was a close friend...or was actually his brother because they woke up at the same time by the AllSpark.

Considering that the femme hadn't actually seen Orion before that cycle, she figured that it had to be the former.

"Uneventful, thankfully," Orion Pax replied. "I was told you needed a public channel?"

"Correct. Soundwave tells me that there are some who think that I am responsible for these attacks. I need to inform them of my innocence on the matter."

Sparkseer frowned slightly, but did not make any comment as to the gladiator's statement. Wildfire, catching sight of his facial movements, shot him a look, but the mech shook his helm.

"I shall see what I can do," Orion Pax stated. He looked over at Soundwave, who led him down another corridor and out of sight. As soon as he was gone, Megatron turned his attention to Wildfire.

"I trust he did not give you any trouble?" he inquired.

Wildfire shook her head. "Besides asking a large number of questions, no." She looked back at Megatron. "He's much too curious for my liking."

"His caste are known for being curious, Wildfire. It is in his programming." Megatron motioned, and Shockwave took a few steps towards them. "There are a few things I wish to discuss with the three of you." He sent a look at Shape-Change that clearly said she shouldn't be going anywhere.

"What is it you need of us?" Sparkseer inquired.

"Shockwave has requested to run a few tests on your abilities, in order to see if we can replicate them," Megatron explained.

Wildfire's optics widened. "What?" She sent a glance over at Shape-Change. "Multiple shifters already exist."

"While shifters are much more common than Cybertronians like you two, they are still rare." Shockwave stepped forward. "If I can figure out how to replicate your abilities-"

"No." Wildfire's optics were slits. "I will not allow anyone to mess with my systems, and that's my final word on it."

"I am afraid that I have to agree with Wildfire," Sparkseer stated. "Our abilities were given to only us for a reason. I doubt that they will be replicate-able."

"Mine might be," Shape-Change admitted, "but I do not want to see more of my kind being used for deceitful purposes."

The other femme of the group shot Shape-Change a curious look that bordered on suspicion, but the shifter refused to elaborate on her statement.

Before Shockwave could say anything more to try and convince them otherwise, Orion Pax and Soundwave returned. Behind them flew a small robot drone outfitted with a camera, which was connected directly into the Grid.

"It is done," Orion stated, motioning to the camera.

Megatron nodded, then motioned for the gladiators in the area to come closer and form a crowd around him as he prepared to begin his speech, the camera floating to a position somewhere a little beyond those at the fringe, hovering at about an even height with Sparkseer's helm.

"I had nothing to do with these attacks, but I do not deny the possibility that the Cybertronians who carried them out were partly inspired by my belief that every Cybertronian has the right to self-determination."

Megatron made a sweeping motion with one arm over the crowd - whether for an after-effect or something else, Wildfire wasn't sure. "I pity the loss of life, but how many of those who died took pleasure from watching me fight for my life in the gladiatorial pits below Kaon? How many other Cybertronians died for the pleasure? Now those Cybertronians, whose lives were your pleasure, are telling you that they reclaim their lives! No Cybertronian shall tell any other Cybertronian what can and cannot be done!"

"Amen to that," Wildfire muttered. Sparkseer sent her a sidelong glance, but said nothing to add to her statement; the femme had spoken for both herself and her two friends. The mech soon returned his gaze to its original position, which had been, oddly enough, centered on Orion Pax, who had been hanging back to give Megatron the full spotlight.

"I am Megatron. I lead all those who choose to follow me, and I repudiate all those who perform despicable acts in my name. I do not fight with bombs but with logic. I do not believe in killing, but in the arena of ideas. Let the perpetrators of these attacks feel the full weight of Cybertronian justice." He pointed at the camera with a sharpened digit on his right servo - the arm that had a rather large barrel of some sort that Wildfire had seen Shockwave tinkering with whenever she had passed the crazed scientist's quarters on her way to another section of the arena's passageways.

Megatron's face contorted into a snarl. "If I find them first, my justice will be swifter and more final."

As if in response to this, the previously-darkened monitors that were positioned around the room lit up as one, bringing up feeds from who-knows-where; Wildfire suspected that Soundwave and Shape-Change had managed to hack into the Grid to show what was going on over the communication channels in some of the other castes.

From the looks of things, it was from those that were much higher up.  
"Our new friend appears a bit concerned," Sparkseer noted softly, getting Wildfire's attention moved from the monitors.

Wildfire frowned upon seeing the rather startled look on the archivist's face. Whatever it was that had set the Cybertronian from Iacon off, it couldn't have been too much - Wildfire was certain that she had probably seen more disturbing things than Orion Pax had.

The femme looked back at Sparkseer curiously. "So? What's that got to do to anything? It's probably nothing."

Sparkseer shook his helm slightly. "Fear can make a mech do strange things," he spoke sagely. "Especially when that mech has the ambition and inexperience to back it."

Wildfire raised an optic ridge and was about to ask what Sparkseer meant by this when Orion Pax stepped out of the shadows and into view of the camera.

"I am Orion Pax," he stated boldly, no sign of the shock that had previously been on his features. "I am a data miner at the Hall of Records in Iacon, working under Alpha Trion himself. I am here to testify that Megatron is not responsible for what is happening."

The monitors that were looking into the communication feeds promptly exploded into a high-speed frenzy that caused the Cybertronians watching them to jump back in surprise. Orion Pax, as well, stumbled back a step in surprise. Wildfire wondered whether this "data miner" had his processor locked onto the Grid, so he was aware of what was being said. Did he have to leave his processor connected to it almost all the time?

Shape-Change shook her head slightly. "I doubt the mech is as crazy or unstable as those in the higher castes claim," she murmured. Wildfire noticed that the shifter wasn't staring at the monitors, and wondered if she had her processor connected to the Grid like Orion Pax's probably was.

"No," Orion Pax stated, shaking his helm. Wildfire figured that he was answering the feeds that were being sent on the Grid. "I have known Megatron. He did not do this. Neither did I. All of you must listen. You must understand."

Wildfire snorted, a noise that went unheard from most of those around her. "I doubt that they will, considering how mad they are about us planning on getting rid of the castes. He's just joined our little group, whether he likes it or not."

"You don't sound happy about that," Sparkseer noted.

"And you are?"

"He is proof that Megatron had managed to reach out to a different caste." Sparkseer shrugged. "I don't see why he can't be a part of this."

"Like he'll be of any help to us. He probably doesn't know how to fight very well, much less want to." Wildfire scrutinized Orion Pax, who had motioned for the camera to come a little closer to him and Megatron so that he could try to state his argument a little more clearly, but the femme couldn't hear what he was saying over the grumbling from her fellow gladiators. "I mean, what sort of help can he give in this?"

"He managed to get that camera drone connected to the Grid," Sparkseer pointed out. "Programming skills like that could prove useful."

"Soundwave can already do that," Wildfire replied dismissively. She looked over at Shape-Change, who nodded in confirmation.

"Soundwave does not have easy access to archived data, however," the shifter spoke. "Orion Pax works in the Hall of Records every single cycle. If Megatron needs to look up data on a past event, the data miner has access to the files stored there."

"Is that what he is to us, then? A librarian?" Wildfire crossed her arms over her chest, raising an optic ridge. "He shouldn't have to come here at all, then. Why did Megatron even let him in?"

"Data miners do not get to see the world outside of Iacon," Shape-Change stated softly. "To go to another population center is one thing, but to come here and see our base of operations is entirely different. Have you not seen the way he looks around at every corner of our home?"

Sparkseer nodded slightly. "Indeed. Like one who has just come out of the Well of AllSparks. He carried that same curiosity during the tour Wildfire and I led him on."

"Orion Pax has been truly brought into the world, now," the shifter stated. "However, it is most likely not in the original way he might have intended. He has been thrust into our revolution...and he can't turn back."

**All right - so it looks like Orion Pax has officially shown up on the scene. It'll be only a matter of time before other events start to fall into place...**

**Sooo...what do you guys think? Don't be afraid to tell me! I want to get better at this!**


End file.
